The Other Gilbert Twin
by Esm3rald
Summary: 'Ariana loved her sister, she really did but she couldn't help but be jealous of her as well. Elena was always everyone's choice. (...) She was basically perfect. Nobody could compare, least of all Ariana'. Elena is always the first choice; that is until the Salvatore Brothers come to town. D/OC slow-going but with S/OC/D love triangle as well.
1. Prologue

**The Other Gilbert Twin**

 **Summary** : 'Ariana loved her sister, she really did but she couldn't help but be jealous of her as well. Elena was always everyone's choice. She was the most popular girl at school, her parents loved her more, Bonnie and Caroline were Elena's friends first of all and she had first pick of all the boys at school. She was basically perfect. Nobody could compare, least of all Ariana'. Elena is always the first choice. That is until the Salvatore brothers come to town. Damon/OC but with Stefan/OC/Damon love triangle - mostly because Stefan is interested in her - and some Stefan/Elena(mostly one-sided) and Damon/Elena(mostly one-sided).

 **The premise for this story is this: 1) Elena has a twin sister, Ariana. Ariana and Elena shares the same face (and voice as well) except for their eyes (Ariana has sapphire blue eyes). They also have the same hair (though Ariana's are naturally wavy) and skin tone and they are the same height. Ariana's body is different from Elena though, while they both have narrow waists, Elena's hips are wider than Ariana's while Ariana has bigger breasts (BTW, I basically imagine Ariana as having Alexandra Daddario's body but with a narrow waist like Nina Dobrev). 2) Elena had already broken up with Matt when she went to the party the night her parents died. What will the presence of a twin sister and this small different detail do to change Canon events?**

 **BTW, Elena is still the doppelganger in this story. (Ariana is a supernatural creature in this story though not one that ever appeared in TVD. To make her fit into the story I had to make some changes to Canon mythology - especially regarding the 'elements' that break Klaus' curse and about Tatia. This means that Ariana will be as essential to breaking the curse as Elena is but without her being the Petrova Doppelganger).**

 **\- Another thing, if Damon seems too 'honest' in this chapter, it's because he had already thought of erasing this conversation from Ariana's mind as soon as he learns that she's not Katherine. That's why he may seem a little OOC in this chapter.**

 **Hope you like this idea and don't worry, this won't have Elena bashing!**

 **Prologue**

 _May 2009_

Ariana should have known that coming to the party was a bad idea. She hadn't even wanted to come but Elena had convinced her. Elena had just broken up with Matt, her longtime boyfriend, and wanted to use Ariana as buffer to avoid any awkwardness between them. Except that things didn't turn out at all like Elena was expecting.

Elena had given her the task of keeping Matt occupied for the night to avoid any possible interaction between them. Elena had spent most of her time with Bonnie, Caroline and Tyler while Matt moped in the background, watching his ex-girlfriend have fun without him.

Ariana had tried to involve him into conversation like Elena had wanted but Matt barely looked at her, his attention divided between Elena and the beer in his hand. She had stopped counting how many he had but she knew that he was well on his way to be truly drunk.

Suddenly out of nowhere, he kissed her. Ariana froze in surprise but she couldn't stop herself from kissing him back a few seconds later. She knew it was wrong, for many reasons, but she simply couldn't help herself – she had had a crush on Matt since she was 5 years old.

After a few long minutes of making out, Matt moved away from her, his eyes immediately looking to his right. Ariana followed his line of vision and met Elena's hurt and furious gaze. She was glaring at her with such anger that Ariana became almost scared of her. Elena turned away stomping her feet and left the party in a hurry, Bonnie following in her wake. Ariana glared at Matt – who had a smug look on his face – and followed after her sister.

"Elena! Elena, please wait, let me explain!" She tried to call after her but Elena had already got into Bonnie's car – the one they had used to come here – and was just waiting for Bonnie to get in as well. Bonnie sent her an apologetic look and then started the engine before leaving the clearing where they all had parked their cars.

Ariana cursed herself and Matt in equal measure for the situation she found herself in. Not only she was stranded there without a ride home but now her sister probably hated her as well. What a great party this turned out to be.

She had been so stupid to believe, even for a second, that Matt may be interested in her, that he was kissing her because he had wanted to kiss her. But of course it was about Elena, it was always about Elena, for everyone. Ariana loved her sister, she really did, but she couldn't help but be jealous of her as well. Elena was always everyone's choice. She was the most popular girl at school, her parents loved her more, Bonnie and Caroline were Elena's friends first of all and she had first pick of all the boys at school. She was basically perfect. Nobody could compare, least of all Ariana.

She sighed in dejection and then rolled her eyes soon after. Now wasn't the time to feel sorry for herself. Yes, Elena was angry at her but she knew it wouldn't last, Elena wasn't one to hold grudges for long. Yes, Matt had been a jerk but she could understand where he was coming from so she couldn't stay angry with him. Right now she needed to figure out how to go home. She couldn't ask Matt a ride after what had just happened and she had no intention of asking Tyler for one – she couldn't stand the guy.

The only thing left to do would be to ask her parents for a ride. Great, just what she had wanted to avoid after bailing on family night.

She huffed but took her phone from out of her front pocket anyway – she was wearing one of her usual baggy sweatshirts, always going more for comfort than style (that was just another thing that made her different from her sister). She kept walking, happy she was wearing chucks like usual since scampering through the woods wouldn't have been very pleasant otherwise, while she waited for her mom to pick up. One, two, three rings and then...

"Hello? Ariana?"

"Hey Mom! Listen, I need a huge favor!"

"Let me guess, you need a ride."

"Yeah." Ariana said, now standing at the side of the road.

"What happened? Elena called me a few minutes ago saying that she would spend the night at Bonnie's. Why are you not with them?"

"Hum..." Ariana tried to find an excuse as to why she wasn't with her sister. In a nervous gesture – she hated lying and she was awful at it as well – she pushed her rectangular, black framed glasses up the root of her nose and bit her lips. "Elena wasn't feeling well so she decided to leave and Bonnie accompanied her. I wanted to stay a little while longer so I didn't go with them but I'm tired too now so I need a ride."

"Elena returned only ten minutes ago, why didn't you go with them when they left?" Her mother sounded irritated.

"I don't know mom, I just changed my mind okay?" Ariana said, raising her voice slightly. "Don't raise your voice with me young lady!"

Ariana winched. "I'm sorry but please, can you come pick me up?"

"Yes, yes. We'll be there in ten to fifteen minutes, all right?"

Ariana breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you mom!"

She had just hanged up when she heard a slight whooshing sound and then a man was standing right in front of her.

"Katherine!" He said, his tone of reverence mixed with surprise. Ariana looked up, completely taken aback by the handsome man looking at her like she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

Ariana looked behind her, her messy side braid following the movement of her neck, thinking that he was probably not talking to her but there was nobody there but them. "No, I'm...I'm Ariana."

Damon looked disappointed for a moment, and still very confused, but a second later he smiled and came just a little bit closer. "Oh, you – you just look...I'm sorry, you just really remind me of someone. I'm Damon."

Ariana smiled hesitantly back at him, wondering why he was still talking to her now that he had realized she wasn't this Katherine girl he was so clearly taken with. "I don't mean to be rude Damon but...what are you doing here, in the middle of nowhere?"

Damon laughed at her boldness. "You're one to talk. You're out here all by yourself."

Ariana shrugged at that. "Yeah well, we're in Mystic Falls. Nothing bad ever happens here."

Damon didn't look like he believed her so she decided to elaborate. "I may or I may not have kissed my sister's ex-boyfriend."

Damon smirked at that. "Huh? Do tell, now I'm curious."

"He kissed me really, I just didn't...I didn't stop him like I should have." Ariana explained, not exactly sure why she was telling him all this but figured there was no harm in it. "Especially because he was just using me to hurt Elena."

"Ouch. Being used is never fun." Damon came a little bit closer still.

"Nope. Especially if the one using you is the guy you had a crush on since forever but he had always been in love with your sister."

Damon smiled a bitter smile at her. "Siblings in love with the same person. I know something about that."

"You do?" She asked surprised.

"Huh, huh." He nodded at her. "Me and my brother were in love with the same girl. It wasn't fun."

Ariana grimaced. "No, I imagine not." A few seconds of silence between them and then Ariana huffed. "What is the point anyway? Love is so stupid and most of the time it ends in heartbreak, why try then?"

Damon laughed, but he wasn't particularly amused. "You're asking this question to the wrong guy." Ariana nodded, though she was disappointed and feeling more dejected than ever.

Damon came closer to her still and said, "Maybe we try because we just can't help it. Even if it hurts in the end, if we find that kind of love, it'll be worth it. Or, at least, we tell ourselves that."

"What kind of love?" Ariana asked confused.

Damon looked at her with intense blue eyes. "The kind of love that consumes you, that has passion and adventure and even a little danger."

Ariana smiled at him, a little dazed by both his words and the tone he had used. "That does sound rather good." She hesitated a second, unsure if she should ask such a personal question but then she just went ahead. "And did you find it? This kind of love?"

Damon smirked, though once again it wasn't a happy smirk. "I thought I did at the time. Sometimes I still do. Other times..." He shrugged but didn't continue.

"I don't think I'll ever experience something like that. I'm not sure I would even want to. Sure, it would be great while it lasts but...what happens when it ends?"

"Why are you so sure it would end?" He looked surprised once again, and confused, though it didn't seem like he was disagreeing with her.

Ariana shrugged. "I don't really believe in eternal love. Nothing lasts forever. Why would love be any different?"

Damon laughed, this time with genuine amusement. "That was a really smart statement."

"Well, I'm rather smart." She said back with a smirk.

"Hum, beauty and brain. Exactly my kind of girl." He returned the smirk.

Ariana almost opened her mouth wide in astonishment at this guy – this guy who looked like that, sexy, dark, dangerous and mysterious, and older, with those amazing blue eyes – flirting with her. She luckily refrained for making a fool of herself and instead asked, "Are you flirting with me?"

Damon shrugged, "Maybe. Would it bother you if I was?"

"Hum..." She pretended to think it over. "You're rather old..."

"Hey!" Damon said, in fake indignation. "That wasn't very nice."

Ariana scoffed at that. "Who says I'm nice?"

Damon laughed again. "Better for me. I'm not much into 'nice'."

Ariana smiled, licking her lips a little. "And what are you into?"

Damon was now standing in front of her, only twenty centimeters or so separating them.

"Lot of things." He said in a lower voice, his eyes staring deeply into hers.

"Yeah?" She asked in a whisper, feeling her heart accelerating in her chest.

He hummed. "I'm a rather adventurous guy." Then he added, even more suggestively, "I could show you sometimes."

She grinned at him, feeling her cheeks flush. "That's rather bold of you. I don't even know your last name."

"Who needs to know last names nowadays? It just means we're on a first name basis."

Ariana laughed at that. "That's one way of putting it." Then she burst out laughing once she realized what she had just said. "That pun was completely unintentional."

Damon laughed with her. "You have a rather dirty mind. I like that."

She pretended to courtesy. "Thank you, kind sir."

Damon smiled at her, a real, amused smile. "This guy – your sister's ex – must be a real idiot to prefer your sister over you..."

Ariana shook her head and rolled her eyes. "You're only saying that because you haven't met my sister yet. Trust me, you would definitely change your mind once you know her. She just has that kind of effect on people."

Damon looked rather dubious. "I doubt it but I'll take your word for it."

Ariana smiled, a little fluttered Damon would say such a thing though she knew that it was only because he didn't know Elena.

They looked into each other's eyes for long seconds and Damon seemed to be about to say something when a horn sounded near them.

Ariana turned her head behind her and noticed her parents' car approaching. "It's my parents." She explained to him.

Damon nodded, almost to himself, before looking deeply into her eyes, freezing her into place. "I hope you'll get everything you're looking for, but right now I want you to forget that this happened. Can't have people knowing that I'm in town yet. Goodnight, Ariana."

Ariana blinked and he was gone.

She shook her head confused and got into her parents' car. Both her parents were still rather angry at having to come get her but she apologized once again and that seemed to pacify them.

They were driving over Wickery Bridge when suddenly a truck came running towards them, in the wrong lane. Her father swerved to avoid it but instead lost control of the car. They ran over the bridge and directly into the lake.

The three of them fought against the belts and the car doors, trying to free themselves but to no avail. They were trapped.

The car started to fill with water and soon they were completely submerged. Her mother had already lost consciousness while her father turned behind him to look at her. They mouthed 'I love you' to each other, knowing this was the end. That was the last thing she remembered before waking up in the hospital.


	2. Stefan's Interlude

**Stefan's Interlude**

It had been 15 years since he had set foot in Mystic Falls and seeing how things went the last time, he knew that it wasn't a good idea for him to be here. And yet...he simply couldn't resist. He had to know her.

The first time he saw Ariana it had been the night her parents died, the night he had saved her. He got her out of the car and that was when he noticed her resemblance to Katherine. He didn't know that her eyes were different because she had kept them closed from when he found her unconscious in the car to the moment he left her on the lake shore before the ambulance arrived. That had been enough of a shock, but finding out that she also had a sister who looked exactly like Katherine...

Stefan hadn't known what to think so he decided to follow them both, curious and suspicious at the same time.

He had realized immediately that something had happened between the twins because Elena hadn't visited Ariana once during the three days she had spent in the hospital except for the night their parents died – the moment when Stefan had found out about her.

When Ariana had finally come back home, Elena hadn't exactly greeted her warmly, the contrary in reality. Elena was cold and rude towards her sister, her brown eyes filled with anger. She hadn't wasted time to explain the reason for her anger once the two of them were alone in Ariana's room. Stefan had listened to their conversation from outside the window, perched on a tree. He felt uncomfortable, spying on them like that, but he wanted to know more about them and that was the only way.

Elena blamed Ariana for their parents' death but that wasn't all. It was also about a boy. Stefan remembered the conversation perfectly.

"You were always jealous of me and Matt. I bet you couldn't wait for us to break up so you could have him for yourself. Well, guess what? He'll always love me, not you!" Elena said scathingly.

"No, Elena, it wasn't like that." Ariana tried to explain but Elena wasn't listening.

"It's all your fault that mom and dad are dead. If you hadn't kissed Matt, I wouldn't have left the party angry and you wouldn't have called them to pick you up! They would have never had the accident if it hadn't been for you! Great job Ariana!"

Stefan's first reaction had been to defend Ariana, feeling that she didn't deserve to be blamed for something she had no control over, especially by her own sister. However, he also knew how grief and anger could cloud your judgment and make you say things you didn't really mean.

Still, his first instinct had been that of protecting Ariana and that surprised him. He had thought at first that his fascination with Ariana was because she looked like Katherine but if that were the case, he would have been just as intrigued with Elena, if not more. Instead, beside the curiosity he felt at knowing that existed someone completely identical to his ex-lover, he didn't feel with Elena the same instantaneous connection that he had felt when he first set eyes on Ariana. Maybe it was because he had saved her. Maybe because in that moment, Elena reminded him too much of Katherine's worst qualities.

He decided to wait and see, however, feeling that he wasn't being fair towards Elena.

Elena went back with Matt – her ex-boyfriend she and Ariana were arguing about – and spent most of the summer ignoring her sister.

Ariana tried to spend time with her little brother Jeremy, trying to steer him away from the bad companies he was keeping lately. She was partly unsuccessful but they were definitely closer than him and Elena. Elena still harbored a lot of anger towards Ariana and was closed-off towards Jenna and Jeremy. She spent most of her time with Matt and Bonnie – her best friend – or writing in her diary.

Most days in Ariana's week, on the other hand, were spent doing community work. She volunteered at the hospital two days at week, at the animal shelter once a week and cooked for the poor soup kitchen during the weekends.

Her free time – when she wasn't at home spending time with Jenna and Jeremy – was spent in the music studio at school. Stefan was surprised to find out that she played both piano and violin and she was very good at it too. He guessed that it was her way of expressing her feelings, the same way writing was to Elena. He also found out that her dream was to get accepted into Juilliard after high school.

Finally, at the end of August, a few weeks before the beginning of the school year, Elena approached Ariana hesitatingly and Stefan knew without listening to the conversation that that would be the moment the two would clear things up.

 _"Ariana? Can I talk to you for a second?" Elena asked, after knocking on her sister's door._

 _Ariana looked both weary and surprised but opened the door wider for Elena to enter the room. She closed it behind her and waited for Elena to start._

 _Elena was wringing her hands and looking away from Ariana. Then she took a deep breath and turned towards her, staring directly into her eyes. "I'm sorry!" she said, tears in her eyes._

 _Ariana breathed deeply in relief and smiled, with wet eyes as well. "Oh, thank god! I couldn't stand for you to be angry at me anymore!"_

 _They hugged each other closely for long minutes and then Elena started again – now both sitting on the bed side by side._

 _"I'm so sorry, Ari. I didn't mean what I said, any of it. I don't blame you for our parents...in truth, I blame myself."_

 _"Why?" Ariana asked, completely taken aback._

 _"Because if I hadn't left you there at the party, our parents wouldn't have to come pick you up. Because I was the one who had wanted to go to the party in the first place; I convinced you to go. It's all because of me."_

 _"No, Elena...it's not. It's not your fault. It's mine...if I hadn't kissed Matt...I'm so sorry..."_

 _Elena shook her head. "Matt explained to me what happened. He said that he was the one to kiss you, to make me jealous...or hurt me...or something. I'm so sorry. He shouldn't have used you like that, just to get back at me. And what did I do? I blamed you. I'm such an awful sister."_

 _Ariana rolled her eyes. "Elena, you're an amazing sister. I couldn't have asked for a better one."_

 _Elena smiled tremulously back at her. "You're such a liar. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is...I was angry and hurt and I just...I blamed everything on you because it was easier, I guess. Which is absolutely awful to say, I know but...I didn't want to deal with my own guilt and pain so I just...threw it all on you...can you ever forgive me?"_

 _Ariana shook her head. "Of course, I forgive you. You're my sister. I love you." They embraced again, both now crying copiously._

 _"You have to break up with Matt." Ariana said directly, once the two had separated._

 _Elena sighed. "I know. I just don't know how...I don't want to hurt him again."_

 _"Elena, he deserves the truth. You don't love him anymore. You can't keep stringing him along. You have to be honest with him, about what you really want."_

 _"I know. I feel so awful. I went back with him just so I wouldn't be alone. I just...I needed someone to be there for me, to console me and since you and I were at odds..."_

 _Ariana nodded. "You used him. You didn't mean to but..."_

 _Elena nodded, looking miserable. "I did. But how can I tell him that?"_

 _"Just tell him the truth, Elena. Yes, it will hurt him but it's better than keep lying to him." Elena nodded, a look of resolve on her face. "I will. I promise I will."_

Stefan had been happy to see the two sisters reconcile and though he had known that Elena wasn't really bad, just hurt, he couldn't help but prefer her sister, with her honesty and selflessness and kindness, but also with her passion, wit and drive, the way she had been so quick to forgive and her desire to both see the best in people and be someone they could lean on.

There was something special about Ariana and Stefan couldn't help but develop feelings towards her, even if he had never exchanged a word with her.

After a summer spent observing her, he finally decided that it was time for them to meet in person.

Stefan jumped from the roof of the Salvatore house, after observing the sunrise and being lost in his thoughts. He needed to hunt before his first day of school.


	3. Pilot, Part 1

**Okay, this is the first chapter and, like the title says, covers only half of the pilot episode. The second chapter will of course cover the second part and don't worry, I'm already working on it. Hope you like this, tell me what you think!**

 **BTW, about the Matt scene, I know it seems like it comes out of nowhere but there's a reason for that. However no Matt/OC in this story except for that kiss in the prologue so don't worry about it.**

 **Pilot, Part 1**

Ariana brushed her hair absentmindedly, her thoughts focused on the strange dream she had that night. There was a man in the dream, older than her, dark-haired, blue eyed, very handsome – the details of his face were a little fuzzy but she remembered that much. Ariana and the man were standing on the side of a road, talking, but somehow, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't remember what it is they were talking about.

She had no idea what the dream meant, if it meant anything at all, but somehow it had stuck with her.

She checked the time and decided that it was time to go, styling her hair into a messy ponytail. It was still very early but she wanted to go to the Music studio before classes to try the Aria of Bach's Goldberg Variations like she had done for two weeks now. It was one of the most difficult pieces she had ever tried, both for composition and interpretation, but she wasn't one to back down from a challenge and really, the difficulty of the piece served as a distraction from the constant feeling of depression that had accompanied her since her parents' death.

She had tried to stay strong for her family and as long as she had to concentrate on them – trying to be close to Jeremy and steer him away from his bad companies and the drugs, reassure Jenna that she was doing a good job as their guardian, deal first with her sister's anger and then try to repair their relationship – the constant weight in her chest seemed to bother her less but she knew that all this was just another distraction, just like her music or her community work, a way not to deal with her grief. If she kept herself busy, then she wouldn't have to think, wouldn't have to deal with the fact that her parents were really gone and it was all her fault.

Ariana practiced her smile in the mirror like every morning until she was satisfied it looked real then she took her violin case and her bag filled with school books and left her room. She knocked on Jenna's door and called out, "I'm leaving Aunt Jenna. See you later." Jenna said something in reply but she could barely hear it.

She knocked and open Elena's door next and found her – like she was expecting – writing on her diary. "Hey Elena, I'm leaving now. See you at school, okay?"

Elena frowned a little, "Are you sure you don't want to go with me and Bonnie?"

"Nah, I have to practice. I'll just walk. I'll see you in first period."

"Okay." Elena smiled slightly at her and Ariana left the room. She said goodbye to Jeremy next – he was still half-asleep – and then finally left the house after filling her thermos with coffee. She walked leisurely while sipping her coffee, right shoulder carrying her bag and left hand holding her violin case.

After ten minutes, she was turning the corner between Franklyn Road and Fermi Street when she almost collided with a muscular chest covered in a black t-shirt. The impact was barely stopped by two firm, slightly cold hands on her shoulders.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going." Ariana apologized immediately. The first thing she noticed about the man she had almost crashed against was his amazing blue eyes that were staring at her with a look of deep interest. Ariana wondered what had warranted such an intent look, especially directed at her.

"No harm done." He replied with a smirk; his nostrils widened slightly and he inhaled deeply, almost like he was savoring the air around him. His smirk turned puzzled after that.

Ariana took a few minutes to realize that everything about him – his eyes, his smirk, his mussed dark hair, his pale face, even the way he was dressed with dark jeans and a black leather jacket – was all very familiar to her. She took even longer to figure out why: he looked like the man in her dream.

"I'm sorry...have we met before?" She asked hesitantly.

The man stopped smirking immediately, completely taken aback. "I think I would remember if I had met such a beautiful girl before." He said, smirking once again, though there was something circumspect, almost suspicious in his eyes.

Ariana shook her head, feeling foolish. "Sorry, forget I said anything. I have to go now. Bye!" She walked around him and away, her cheeks warm in her embarrassment.

What was wrong with her? It was just a dream, nothing more. It was impossible that this man was the same one as the one in her dream. After all, she had never met him before therefore how could she have dreamt of him without having ever met him first? It just wasn't possible.

She kept walking then, trying to forget about the stupid dream and the fact that that guy now certainly thought she was crazy or very weird, and just made her way to school, fortunately without further incidents.

As soon as she crossed the school double doors, she made her way to her locker, put her books inside and then went up two flights of stairs to the music room.

She stayed to practice until about 15 minutes before the first bell and then left to retrieve her history book.

She was just about two corridors away from Tanner's class when the string in her backpack came slightly loose. Because of that she was still walking, but not really paying attention to what was in front of her when this time she actually collided with another chest. What was with her today?

Her bag fell from her hands, the entire content splattering on the hallway floor, and she was just about to fall too when two strong hands kept her steady. The guy in question was not as handsome as the one she had almost collided with a little more than one hour before though he was still more handsome than anyone else she had ever seen in Mystic Falls (or anywhere else except on TV really). Not even Matt was that handsome.

"Are you okay?" The guy asked her, his beautiful green eyes focused on her face.

Ariana grinned. "Thanks to you. You saved me from an embarrassing tumble, that's for sure. And you also probably saved my violin, I definitely don't have the money to buy a new one."

The guy smiled at her, a hand passing through his spiked light brown hair in seemingly embarrassment. "Well, since I was the one who almost made you fall, the least I could do was catch you."

"Oh no, trust me, it wasn't your fault. I wasn't looking where I was going." Then noticing the mess on the floor she added, "I have to pick this up before first period or the teacher's going to kill me."

She went to kneel but Stefan's voice stopped her, "Let me help you, please."

"Are you sure? It's really no problem, I'm sure you have places to be."

Stefan looked sheepish now, "Well, I do have ulterior motives if I have to be honest."

Ariana grinned at him, "Oh yeah? Let me guess, you're new and you don't know where you're supposed to go?"

Stefan smiled at her. "You guessed right."

"Okay then, I guess with four hands we'll pick everything up faster." After retrieving her notebooks, pens, phone – that fortunately was still perfectly intact if not with a few more scratches – her music book and her history book, Ariana asked what he was looking for.

"Civil War history with Mr. Tanner?"

Ariana grinned at him, "Same class as me. Oh, I'm Ariana by the way." She extended her hand to shake and Stefan took it in his slightly cold one (another similarity with the guy from this morning beside their incredible attractiveness, what was up with that?).

"I'm Stefan. Nice to meet you Ariana."

The two walked side by side and Ariana immediately noticed all the eyes of the students riveted on them as soon as they made their way together to Tanner's class, especially Caroline's jealous and at the same time incredulous look – like she couldn't believe Ariana had attracted the attention of someone like Stefan.

Ariana couldn't really believe it either but it wasn't like it meant anything, after all Stefan was only being polite and he had followed her because they were going to the same class anyway. There was nothing more than that.

Even Elena and Bonnie seemed surprised, and in Elena's eyes there was something more as well, though it was nothing like the jealous look Caroline was sporting. Ariana didn't know how to interpret the look on her sister's face and anyway, in a second it was gone, replaced by a suggestive grin in her direction. Ariana rolled her eyes but she was grinning as well.

Ariana and Stefan sat at different tables but they were only two seats away from each other; that meant that they were still in each other's line of vision.

Tanner entered the class a few minutes later and started his lecture, probably barely noticing the students in front of him. "Once our home state of Virginia joined confederacy in 1861, it created a tremendous amount of tension within the state. People in Virginia's northwest region had different ideals than those from the traditional deep south. Then Virginia divided in 1863 with the northwest region joining the union."

He was like a mixture of Snape and Binns from Harry Potter in her opinion. He never missed a class, he kept teaching even if there was only one student in it, he would probably still keep his schedule class even with no one there to listen. And of course he was a jerk who treated his students like crap like Snape.

She suddenly felt eyes on her and she turned around, noticing that Stefan was staring at her. When she caught him looking, he smiled at her and she smiled back before returning her attention to the front of the class.

Inside she felt giddy. No guy had ever paid attention to her. She was usually the one guys used as a way to get introduced to her sister - sort of like a middleman. It was never her they were interested in. Ariana had gotten used to it, though that didn't mean it didn't hurt.

She knew that as soon as Stefan would get to talk to Elena, his attention would shift to her but she was going to enjoy this while it lasted.

As soon as class was finished Stefan left with a last look at her and then, immediately after, Caroline, Bonnie and Elena pounce on her.

"So, you and the new guy, hum?" Bonnie asked with a grin.

Ariana rolled her eyes. "His name is Stefan and it's not like that. I collided against him – and no Caroline, it wasn't on purpose – and he helped me pick my things up from the floor and I helped him find this class since we were going to the same place anyway. That's it."

"What, no flirting, nothing?" Caroline asked incredulous. "Come on, you meet someone like that and you don't even try to flirt? You're hopeless Ari."

"Come on Caroline, leave her alone." Elena intervened.

Caroline huffed but relented.

"So, we're going to the Grill after school, you coming?" Bonnie asked the two sisters.

Elena answered that she had something to do first – meaning she needed to go to the cemetery to write in her diary in front of their parents' grave – while Ariana answered that she needed to practice first but that she would join them later as well.

Between third and fourth period she was stopped by someone she really didn't want to talk with: Matt Donovan. She hadn't talked to Matt since that disastrous night and, truth to be told, she was perfectly okay with it. Though what he had done to her had been overshadowed by her parents' death, it had still left her hurt and humiliated and had also been the reason why she had fought with her sister in the first place. Though things with her sister were okay, that didn't change what had happened.

She wished she could tell Matt that she was still angry with him, but the truth was that she had difficulty staying angry with someone. Sometimes she really wished she could hold a grudge against someone but the truth was that she couldn't. She felt immediately bad if she was curt or rude with people and she always tended to apologize afterwards if she was. Being angry with people required too much energy and she preferred to spend that energy in more positive ways.

Still, that didn't mean that she wanted to talk with him. "Please Matt, now it's not the time..." She said tiredly to him.

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry." Matt said, his baby blue eyes full of guilt. "I never should have used you like that, just to make Elena jealous. I didn't think about what that could have done to your relationship with your sister. I'm so sorry, can you forgive me?"

Ariana sighed again, unable to resist those eyes. "Yes, yes, I forgive you." She rolled her eyes at herself but Matt smiled hugely back.

Ariana smiled back at him and suddenly his eyes changed, becoming a little hooded. He touched her arm in a seemingly unconscious gesture and said, a little huskily, "You know, you look really pretty today."

Ariana frowned in confusion at that; was Matt flirting with her? What the hell? "Hum, thanks."

Matt smiled even widely at that. "So, are you going to the Grill later?"

"Huh, yeah?" Ariana felt more and more confused.

"Great. I'll see you there...then." He laughed awkwardly, his cheeks slightly red, before he walked away, not before throwing another ardent look her way.

Ariana watched him go, completely bewildered. "What was that?"

She shook her head and decided to forget about it. She had another class to go to.

The rest of the day passed slowly, though she was able to catch Jeremy after eighth period. Elena had told her what had happened between them that morning and Ariana decided that it was her turn to try to talk with him.

"Hey Jer!" She said with a smile.

Jeremy groaned. "Not you too."

"Really? That's how you talk to everyone who says hi to you?" She said with a smirk.

Jeremy rolled her eyes. "Only if said person is my sister. I know what you're going to say."

Ariana shrugged. "Yeah well, I'm gonna say it anyway. I talked to Elena and she said that she found you high before class this morning. Really Jer?"

"Oh good, another lecture." Jeremy said with another eye-roll before turning around. He was just about to walk away when Ariana stopped him with her voice.

"Please Jer, wait."

Jeremy stopped and turned around. "What?"

"Look, I don't want to lecture you. I'm not here to tell you that drugs are bad for you." Jeremy snorted at that. "I'm just worried about you. And I just want you to know that if you ever need to talk about anything, I'm here, okay? Even if you want to scream at me, I'm here and I know what you're going through. Maybe it's not the same because no pain and grief is the same for anyone but remember...I lost them too, and I miss them too. So don't...don't shut me out, please..." Ariana felt her eyes fill with tears at that but she tried to reign herself in.

Jeremy looked sad as well, not annoyed like before. He nodded and Ariana decided that a hug wouldn't hurt either of them.

She enveloped him in a strong embrace and though he was rigid at first, he slowly relaxed in her arms. Ariana let the tears fall and felt her t-shirt getting wet from Jeremy's tears as well.

After long minutes, the two moved away from each other and Jeremy dried his tears with his sweatshirt sleeve while Ariana did the same with her hand. Jeremy nodded at her, looking like he didn't exactly know what to say and then walked away. Ariana sighed but figured that was the best she could do at the moment.

Fortunately classes were over for the day so she immediately went to the music room to practice some more.

She was in the middle of the composition when a mistake made her loose patience with it and she slammed her hands on the piano keys in frustration. She was just so tired, tired of pretending that everything was okay, that she was okay. Because she was definitely not okay. And she hated that as well. After all, she should be, right? It had been four months after all. How long does it take to get over someone's death, even if the death is that of your parents? Why couldn't she just be okay already?

Ariana took a deep breath to calm herself down and decided to play one of her favorite pieces instead: Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, 1st movement.

Her hands flew over the buttons without needing to think about it so she closed her eyes and let herself just feel for a second. Once again her eyes filled with tears and she let them fall. She opened them once again when sobs wrecked her chest but she kept playing.

Suddenly her solitude was interrupted by someone opening the door of the class and she immediately stopped, trying to hid her face.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know this class was already occupied." The class was soundproofed so she could understand the mistake. She recognized immediately the voice. It was the new student, Stefan.

She raised her eyes instinctually and that was when Stefan noticed the tears behind her glasses. "Are you okay?"

Ariana shook her head and waved her hand in the air. "Yeah, of course. It's just...this piece always makes me cry, don't know why."

"I'll go if you want to."

"No, it's okay. I was done anyway." Stefan smiled at her answer and closed the door behind him. "I have to practice with the violin anyway now." Ariana continued.

Stefan looked impressed at that. "You play two instruments? Wow. That's very impressive."

Ariana shrugged, feeling shy. "I've always liked classical music, since I was little, so I decided that I wanted to learn so I could reproduce those beautiful pieces myself. I can play the flute a little as well but it's never been my favorite instrument so I rarely practice with it." Then she shook her head and asked, "Enough about me, I guess since you're here that you play as well?"

Stefan nodded, coming closer to her. "I play the piano since I was little. My parents were a little old fashioned so they had me and my brother learn." At the mention of his brother, he seemed to frown, like he was regretting mentioning him.

"You have a brother?" Ariana asked, interested.

"Yeah but we're not really close." Stefan shrugged and looked away, obviously uncomfortable with the question.

Ariana ignored the uncomfortable air and said cheerfully, "I have two siblings as well. Jeremy, my younger brother and my twin, Elena."

"You have a twin?" Stefan asked, "And are you two close?"

Ariana smiled, happy that that was the first question out of his mouth. Usually people who didn't know about Elena, asked her if the two of them were identical or not. "We are. I mean, it's not like we never fight or anything but we are very close. I love her so much. I mean, I love Jeremy too of course, I would do anything for him, but I guess it's different between us, because we're twins."

Stefan smiled at her, seemingly completely intent on her words, almost like she was recounting the most interesting thing in the world. Ariana blushed at so much focus directed at her and averted her eyes. To cover her embarrassment she asked, "Can I ask you a question?"

Stefan came even closer and sat on a chair near her. "Sure."

"How come you and your brother aren't close?"

Stefan frowned at that, deep lines appearing on his forehead and his look became dark with sadness and anger. "It's complicated."

Ariana sighed, not wanting to pry so she simply said, "I hope whatever it is that you'll patch things up. There's nothing more important than family after all."

Stefan sighed, the sadness winning out over the anger. "I wish so too but I don't think it's possible."

Ariana looked at him and smiled, wanting to reassure him in some way but not knowing how. Stefan smiled at her, seemingly completely relaxed in her presence, until he took a deep breath and he suddenly became rigid, his eyes acquiring a strange red outline.

"Are you okay? Your eyes..." Ariana asked and Stefan immediately covered his eyes with one hand, rubbing them slightly with his fingers.

"No, no, it's nothing. Just something in my eyes."

Ariana shrugged and looked at her watch just to have something else to look at. She didn't want to make Stefan uncomfortable by staring at him.

She noticed in that moment the time and cursed, standing on her feet in a sudden gesture.

"Everything okay?" Stefan asked her. His eyes seemed back to normal. Maybe he had some kind of allergy or something.

"Yeah, just...I'm meeting some friends at the Grill and I'm a little late." She bit her lip in indecision then she found her courage to ask, "Would you like to come with?" At Stefan's surprised look, she immediately backtracked, feeling embarrassed. "Sorry, forget I ask. I'm sure you have other things to do...like play since you came here and all..." She finished awkwardly but Stefan was smiling at her, half-amused and half- charmed by her fumbling words.

"No, I'd...I'd like to come. I can still play another time."

Ariana smiled at him, feeling light like she hadn't felt in a long time. "Great. We should go then."


	4. Pilot, Part 2

**So, there it is, part 2. I have to say, I'm not really happy with it but I don't know what I could do better so…**

 **Another thing, I know it seems like Ariana is kind of obsessing over making sure Stefan likes her but you have to remember that this is the very first time a guy has really paid attention to her, a guy who has no interest in her sister which has never happened before. So yeah, right now she's a little boy-crazy and insecure at the same time but that will change soon, once she really starts to gain more confidence. And remember, this will eventually be a Damon/Ariana story. Stefan is kind of a stepping stone in the way towards Damon and Ariana.**

 **Anyway, enough with the author's note. Hope you like this chapter! Just another thing: Ariana and Elena are not identical. Their face is identical (except for their eyes) and their hair is the same as well except for the fact that Ariana's is naturally wavy. However, their bodies are not the same – though they are the same height.**

 **Pilot, Part 2**

They entered the Grill together and once again the attention of every guy their age there – Tyler, Matt, Elena, Bonnie, Caroline – was on them.

Ariana felt suddenly nervous and almost regretted the idea of inviting Stefan to come along. Stefan turned to smile at her in that moment though – did he sense her nervousness somehow? – and she immediately relaxed.

They had barely made ten steps inside the bar when Matt walked over to them. He had a strange look on his face, almost like he was angry about something. What was with Matt lately?

"Hey, I'm Matt, nice to meet you." He extended his hand towards Stefan in a behavior that seemed a lot like posturing.

"Hi. Stefan." Stefan shook Matt's hand, appearing completely friendly though more reserved that he had ever been with her.

"Hey Matt." Ariana intervened, breaking off the strange face off. "What's up?"

Matt turned to her, smiling a smile that had never directed towards her before, both shy and hopeful. "Hi Ariana. I just wanted to say how glad I am that you forgave me. And also, I wanted to ask you how you were doing…I'm sorry I didn't ask you this morning…" He was rumbling and he looked nervous and Ariana was completely confused.

"Oh, I'm…I'm fine. Yeah." She answered, feeling awkward. "Listen Matt, we have to go now. Caroline, Elena and Bonnie are waiting for us so…"

"Yeah, yeah." Matt replied sounding disappointed. He sent a last, dark look towards Stefan and then joined Tyler that was watching the scene from the pool table. Tyler waved at her and winked when she noticed him looking and she rolled her eyes before turning towards Stefan. "Come on, I'll introduce you to my sister and our friends."

The two of them went to sit at Elena's table and after the introductions were out of the way, Caroline started questioning Stefan, her best preppy, flirty smile poised on him. "So, you were born in Mystic Falls?"

"Mm-Hmm." Stefan answered, patient "And moved when I was still young."

"Parents?" Bonnie asked this time.

A shadow passed over Stefan's eyes at the question. "My parents passed away."

Ariana looked at him and placed her hand over his in a sign of support. Stefan turned towards her and smiled.

"I'm sorry." Elena said as well, looking sad. "Any siblings?"

Stefan turned to her, "None that I talk to. I live with my uncle."

Caroline, whose interest in Stefan was rather obvious, called him. "So, Stefan, if you're new, then you don't know about the party tomorrow."

"It's a back to school thing at the falls." Bonnie explained.

Stefan turned to Ariana, smiling, "Are you going?"

Ariana widened her eyes, not expecting Stefan to still keep his attention on her where Elena was sitting right next to him. Maybe there was hope yet. Ariana finally grinned back at him, feeling shy. "I-I guess I will."

Stefan grinned back. "Good."

* * *

The next day at school they were once again in Tanner's class and the teacher was using this hour to question his students about what a specific battle during the Civil War. "The Battle of Willow Creek took place right at the end of the war in our very own Mystic Falls. How many casualties resulted in this battle? Ms. Bennett?"

Bonnie looked both startled and clueless. "Um...a lot? I'm not sure. Like a whole lot."

"Cute becomes dumb in an instant, Ms. Bennett." Tanner mocked her. "Mr. Donovan? Would you like to take this opportunity to overcome your embedded jock stereotype?"

Matt shrugged carelessly. "It's okay, Mr. Tanner, I'm cool with it."

"How about Miss Ariana Gilbert? Surely you can enlighten us about one of the town's most significantly historical events?"

Ariana bit her lip, knowing she had read about it somewhere but not remembering the exact number at the moment. "Something like 350 causalities?"

"Too vague of an answer, Miss Gilbert." Tanner replied, not losing any occasion in making his students feel like idiots. "I was willing to be lenient last year for obvious reasons. But the personal excuses ended with summer break."

Ariana gasped at Tanner's words, not expecting anyone – not even Tanner – to comment so callously on her parents' death.

"There were 346 casualties, sir." She heard Stefan's voice say. "Unless you're counting local civilians."

Tanner turned to look at him with a frown. "That's correct. Mister...?"

"Salvatore."

"Salvatore. Any relation to the original settlers here at Mystic Falls?"

Stefan's frown deepened. "Distant."

"Well, very good. Except, of course, there were no civilian casualties in this battle." Ariana wished she could punch that smug smile off his face.

"Actually, there were 27, sir." Stefan corrected him. "Confederate soldiers, they fired on the church, believing it to be housing weapons. They were wrong. It was a night of great loss. The founder's archives are, uh, stored in civil hall if you'd like to brush up on your facts, Mr. Tanner." Though he wasn't openly smiling there was a definitive smirk in his voice.

Ariana lowered her head to hide her own smirk then, as soon as Tanner had turned away, she sent a smile towards Stefan and mouthed 'thank you' at him. Stefan smiled back.

* * *

At the end of the school day Ariana was surprised to see Caroline waiting for her, a look of determination on her face.

"Caroline? Hey." She said in a questioning tone.

"You're going to the party with Stefan, are you?" Caroline immediately asked, not one to beat around the bush.

Ariana shrugged. "Yeah, that's the idea. Why?" She felt suddenly weary. Was Caroline going to scream at her for attracting the attention of a guy she had clearly set her eyes on?

Caroline sighed and put her hands on her hips. "Then we're going shopping."

"What?" Ariana asked, completely taken aback.

"You can't show up at a party with Stefan Salvatore as your date with your usual clothes."

"Why not?" Ariana asked, more and more confused by the conversation.

Caroline gasped like Ariana had said something outrageous. "Because he's Stefan Salvatore, hello? He's like the hottest guy this town has ever seen. He's clearly interested in you but how long is it going to last if you keep dressing like you do?"

Ariana frowned. "I don't think Stefan cares about that."

"Well, maybe he doesn't now. But what's going to happen when he sees your sister all dressed-up and flawless like usual? How long do you think it's going to take for Stefan to change his mind and set his eyes on your sister instead?"

Caroline's blunt words pierced directly into the core of her insecurities. Wasn't exactly what she had been expecting all along? For Stefan to realize that he was interested in the wrong sister, like everybody else before him?

Caroline's harsh gaze softened and she said. "You're just as beautiful as your sister – hell you look almost identical so it's not like it's hard. It's just that you never actually tried before. I think now it would be a good time to do it."

Ariana shook her head. "Why would you help me? I thought you liked Stefan. Why would you help me keep him interested in me or something?"

Caroline shrugged. "Well, it's simple. First, I don't like competing over guys unless it's with Elena. Second, I'm happy that, for once, a guy is not drooling all over Elena. It's getting kind of old, don't you think? Sure, I would have preferred if he had been interested in me but…I'm okay with him being interested in you. You desperately need a boyfriend and Stefan could be the one for you."

"Okay, so you…what? You want to turn me into a second Elena? Because I'm not okay with that."

"What? No. Of course not. Not that you couldn't pull it off, of course. But Elena's style is not really your style, is it? Elena has a girl-next-door kind of style, which works for her. But you…You're more…creative and free-spirited and animal-loving…Don't worry, when I'm done you'll still be you, just a better, sexier version of you."

Ariana hummed, agreeing with Caroline's description of her. "Okay. So, what do you have in mind?"

Caroline smiled her most devious smile. "Boho chic. Trust me, it would totally work on you and would look really sexy without seeming like you're trying too much. In fact, we're going to recreate your wardrobe from top to bottom. Trust me, when I'm done with you, Stefan won't be able to resist you."

Ariana bit her lip and then shrugged, figuring what did she have to lose?

They took Caroline's car and drove to the mall a little out of town. The first order of business was, according to Caroline, getting rid of her glasses. Ariana had never worn contact lenses before but she figured it was never too late to try. That was one of the many things she and Elena had not in common – Elena's sight was perfect.

The difference that a pair of glasses made was rather astonishing. While her face and Elena's were identical, her blue eyes stood out against her olive skin and made her appear different from her sister somehow but not less beautiful.

Next were her hair. She didn't remember the last time she cut them. They actually reached her bottom now. The hairdresser cut the tips off and a few centimeters over it so they reached her mid-back now and then styled her hair in soft, loose, curls. When that was done, she recommended some hair product that would help her obtain the same effect at home.

"Now, let's go to Victoria's Secret. Every girl needs sexy lingerie in her wardrobe. You never know when someone like Stefan will see what's under your clothes."

Ariana blushed to the top of her hair. "We haven't even started to officially date yet. Don't you think you're going a little ahead of yourself?"

Caroline, of course, ignored her protests and dragged her into the store. She asked Ariana what size she was and Ariana shrugged, saying she was the same size as her sister. Turned out, that was wrong, especially when it came to her bust.

"I can't believe you have been wearing the wrong bra size all these years. Didn't you ever go with your mom to buy lingerie together?"

Ariana shook her head. "No. She sometimes went with Elena, but mostly she just bought underwear for both of us and I guess she figured, since we are twins, we have the same size."

"You definitely don't have the same size. Those baggy clothes you insist on wearing definitely kept a lot of things hidden. You must have, like, three-three sizes and a half more than Elena."

"Really?" Ariana said, looking down at her breasts.

"Yes, really. Elena's boobs always look so good because she wears bras that fits her, often push-ups."

"Oh." Ariana merely said in reply, not sure what she was supposed to add.

In the end they left the shop with plenty of bras in her right size, mostly lace and push-ups, lacy underwear and thongs and some baby-dolls as well for the night. For the first time in her life, while wearing that lingerie, Ariana had felt sexy.

Finally they went to buy some clothes. Caroline directed her towards things she thought Ariana would like but mostly let her decide on her own, though she encouraged her to be surer of herself. In the end, Ariana bought tons of short and long dresses for her, skirts, tops and skinny jeans, high heeled sandals and knee-high boots, all in the boho chic style that Caroline thought would suit her.

It did, in fact. It was sexy and comfortable at the same time; it was somewhat still large and baggy (some clothes at least, not everything) but in a flattering way instead of a swallowing-you-whole way. They were made to enhance the body forms instead of hiding them. And Ariana did have to agree with Caroline, she did look good in them.

Finally they bought some makeup and accessories (belts, bags, earrings, bracelets, necklaces etc) and then returned home, just in time to get ready for the party.

They got ready at Caroline's house and Ariana realized that that was what a girls' day felt like. She never really had one of those, only Elena, Bonnie and Caroline were included in shopping sprees and sleepovers (unless it was at her house, in that case Elena couldn't not include her). She went to parties with them, sure, but mostly because she and Elena drove the same car and then, most of the time, Elena would ditch her to be with her friends and she would stand there, awkward in a corner because she didn't have many friends – or she would tag along and she would stand with them but was never really included. She was always the bystander, the outsider looking in into Elena's amazingly perfect life. Ariana knew Elena didn't do it on purpose but it didn't hurt any less.

Ariana tried not to linger on those thoughts and instead let Caroline do her magic. She warned her blonde friend not to overdo it with the makeup – Ariana never wore makeup so that was a first for her – but Caroline merely raised her eyebrow in answer like to say 'Who do you think you're talking to?'.

After a good fifteen minutes, Caroline told her to look at her reflection in the mirror and when Ariana did, she gasped. Caroline had underlined the upper part of her eyes with eyeliner and a natural eyeshadow that became darker at the corner plus a layer of mascara to get a slightly smoky effect. She had a slight veil of blush on her cheeks and red matte lipsticks covered her lips.

"Wow." Was all Ariana was able to say.

Caroline smirked at her. "I know."

Her hair were already done so the only thing left to do was to get dressed. Ariana chose a black crochet short dress with floral designs whose sleeves reached a little below the elbow. It was tight on the front and waist and then opened in a flowy skirt. It was completely see-through so she wore a short skin-tight cotton dress with spaghetti straps underneath. She also wore black, high-heeled sandals to complete the ensemble.

The overall effect looked really good on her. This outfit emphasized her long legs, her small waist and her chest in all the right ways.

"You look even better than I imagined. I have to say, I'm officially jealous." Caroline's voice said from behind her, her blonde reflection appearing in the mirror next to hers.

Ariana rolled her eyes. "You're gorgeous and you know it. You don't need to be jealous."

Caroline grinned. "I know."

* * *

They joined the party half an hour later though Stefan still hadn't shown up. Ariana noticed immediately the stares from basically all the people at the party, some curious, some surprised, some jealous, some even lustful but she tried not pay them any attention. She said hi to her sister but she didn't linger, choosing instead to sip on a beer and stick close to Caroline.

Matt came close to them a few minutes later, looking at her with that peculiar look that he had been sporting in the past two days and Ariana felt uncomfortable once again. What the hell was going on with Matt?

Still, Ariana ignored the strange vibes she was getting from Matt and talked with both him and Caroline like nothing was wrong.

They were in the middle of a debate about this year's chances for the football team to win State Championship when Stefan showed up.

"Hum, excuse me. I'll see you later, okay?" Ariana said to them before making her way towards Stefan.

"Hey!" She said to him as soon as they were standing in front of each other. "You made it."

Stefan immediately smiled at her, looking relieved to see a familiar face. "I did."

"So, do you wanna go take a walk?" Ariana asked shily.

"Sure. Lead the way."

After a few steps made in silence, Ariana decided to break it by commenting. "You know, you're kind of the talk of the town."

Stefan turned to her with a grin. "Am I?"

"Well, sure. Hot, new, mysterious guy? Of course you are."

"You think I'm hot?" Stefan said with a larger grin.

Ariana smiled. "Don't let it get it to your head but yeah. Everyone who has eyes would think so."

"Hum. I only care what you think." Stefan said with an intense look.

Ariana brought a strand of her behind her ear in a nervous gesture, missing her glasses. "Well, that's good."

"You know, you have the whole mysterious thing going too. Twinged in sadness."

Ariana laughed nervously. "You think I'm sad?"

"Well, I didn't want to pry yesterday but I thought moonlight sonata wasn't the only reason you were crying."

Ariana sighed, "I have to warn you, this is not exactly party chit-chat."

"I've never really been good at, uh, chit-chat."

"Last spring I went to this party and my parents came to pick me up and drove their car off a bridge with me inside as well, in the backseat. And I survived, for some strange reason, but they didn't…So, that's it."

"You won't be sad forever, Ariana."

Ariana sighed again. "Why does it feel like it then? This summer I did all that I could to just…fill my days so that I wouldn't have to think how much it hurt, figuring it was going to get better sooner or later but…it didn't."

An expression of empathy crossed Stefan's face. "It may seem like a cliché but time really is the method to overcome this kind of hurt. That doesn't meant that it'd ever stop hurting because it probably won't but you will get better. You will be happy again Ariana."

Ariana smiled at him. "Thank you, Stefan, really."

Stefan nodded, a small grin on his lips. Then he turned serious and asked, "So, can I ask you something?"

Ariana frowned. "Sure. What is it?"

"What brought about this change in looks?"

Ariana looked down at herself, feeling suddenly insecure. "You don't like it?" Just her luck, she went out of her way to change her appearance to keep Stefan's attention (or at least that was the intent at the beginning) and Stefan didn't even like it.

Stefan widened his eyes. "No, no. That's not what I meant. You look…breathtaking."

Ariana blushed at his words. "Thank you."

"It's just that, it's not your usual style, is it?"

Ariana shrugged. "No, it's not but…I guess I needed a change. Caroline helped me chose a style that still screams me but it looks good on me at the same time."

"It certainly works. But why did you feel the need to change?"

"If you're trying to get me to admit that I did it to impress you…it's totally true."

Stefan laughed at that. "Well, consider me impressed. But that's not the only reason, is it?"

Ariana shook her head. "No, it's not. It's just…you'll think me silly."

"I promise, I won't."

"It's because of Elena. Not, because _because_ …she didn't do anything wrong, it's just…you see, Elena has always been the outgoing, popular one, since we were kids. Everywhere she went, she made friends and everyone adored her. I was just…me. Shy, awkward…

"So one time during kindergarten, my sister and some friends of hers were jumping with the rope. I wanted to play as well so I stupidly said that I could beat Elena's record of how many consecutive jumps she could do. Elena glared at me and said that I wanted to play just because she was playing. That all I wanted was to copy her. The other kids laughed, of course, and started to call me 'copycat'.

"From that moment on, I tried to be as different from her as possible. If Elena decided to do something that I wanted to do as well, then I would change my mind and decide to do something else instead. Reason why, even if I wanted to do gymnastics when I was little, I did ballet instead, because Elena wanted to do gymnastics, even if she gave that up after two years. It's the reason why I never even tried out for cheerleader, because I knew she wanted to do it. Why I never tried to dress up or wear make-up. I guess I was also afraid people would think I would never compare with Elena, no matter how much I tried."

Stefan had listened to what she was saying without interrupting but at her last words he protested, "You don't need to compete with your sister, you're perfect just as you are."

Ariana smiled slightly at him but the truth was, she wasn't feeling very reassured. Just once she wanted to hear someone say: 'You're better than your sister'. Maybe it was petty on her part but she couldn't help it.

"So, what made you change your mind about 'dressing up'?" Stefan asked her then.

"I guess I just realized that I can look beautiful and find my own style without becoming a copy of my sister."

Stefan opened his mouth to say something but before he could, they both heard Elena's voice screaming, "Somebody help!"

They immediately ran to see what was going on and noticed Elena and Jeremy were carrying Vicki's unconscious and bleeding form.

"Vicki?" Matt called out, coming closer to them. "Vicki, what the hell?!"

"What happened to her?" Tyler, that had joined them as well, asked.

"Somebody, call an ambulance!" Matt ordered.

Ariana snapped herself out of the shock of seeing such a scene and immediately called for an ambulance.

"Everybody back up, give her some space!" She heard in the background – it was Tyler's voice. Then Elena's, "It's her neck. Something bit her. She's losing a lot of blood."

Once she had finished explaining the situation on the phone for the ambulance to come, she hanged up and she realized that Stefan wasn't standing next to her anymore. She looked around, hoping to find him but he was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

Stefan returned at the Boarding House in a hurry and immediately Zach's voice from his office called out to him, wanting to know what was going on.

"Someone else was attacked tonight, Zach, and it wasn't me." Stefan said, without even stopping. Instead he ran up the stairs to his room.

Immediately a crow appeared from the open window and Stefan turned around, already knowing who he was going to find there.

"Damon."

Damon smirked at him from the balcony. "Hello, brother."

"Crow's a bit much, don't you think?"

Damon shrugged and walked inside. "Wait till you see what I can do with the fog."

"When'd you get here?"

"Well, I couldn't miss your first day at school. Your hair's different. I like it."

"It's been 15 years, Damon."

Daon sighed in fake relieve while playing around with the memorabilia in the room. "Thank God. I couldn't take another day of the nineties. That horrible grunge look? Did not suit you. Remember, Stefan, it's important to stay away from fads."

Stefan sighed, exasperatedly. "Why are you here?"

"I miss my little brother."

Stefan almost scoffed at Damon's answer. "You hate small towns. It's boring. There's nothing for you to do."

"I've managed to keep myself busy."

"You know, you left that girl alive tonight. That's very clumsy of you."

Damon nodded. "Ah. That can be a problem...for you."

"Why are you here now?"

"I could ask you the same question. However, I'm fairly certain your answer can be summed up all into one little word...Ariana."

* * *

"Hey, about I take you home, hum?" Ariana asked Caroline. It looked like she drank more that was wise that evening. She had already made sure that Elena would bring Jeremy home so that was one less thing to worry about.

Caroline nodded at her, stumbling a little on her feet. "Yeah, that would be good." She giggled. "Though you'll have to drive my car, I don't think I can right now…" She laughed again.

Ariana shook her head and took the keys from Caroline's bag before helping her walk to the car. She helped Caroline sit down in the passenger's seat and then revved the engine. A few minutes later, after making sure the coast was clear – meaning that Liz Forbes was nowhere to be seen – she helped Caroline going up the stairs and tucked her into bed.

"Thank you." Caroline mumbled, already half-asleep.

Ariana smiled at her. "Of course. Goodnight, Care."

"Goodnight, Ari."

* * *

"You know, I'd figure you would be more interested in Elena than Ariana since she's really identical to Katherine but no…you chose Ariana, why?"

Stefan opened his mouth to answer but Damon continued before he could, "Not that I can blame you. Elena is so painfully ordinary, nothing that particularly stands out about her except for her looks. Just an ordinary human girl. But Ariana…there's something special about her, isn't it? Can't put my finger on what it is and yet, there's something that just draws you in. Is it working, Stefan? Being around her, being in her world? Does it make you feel alive?"

"She's not Katherine." Stefan growled at him. "She's nothing like her."

"Well, let's hope not. We both know how that ended. Tell me something, when's the last time you had something stronger than a squirrel?"

"I know what you're doing, Damon. It's not gonna work."

"Yeah? Come on. Don't you crave a little?" Damon started to hit him, to goad him.

"Stop it."

"Let's do it. Together. I saw a couple girls out there." Damon said, then with a smirk he added, "Or just, let's just cut to the chase, let's just go straight for Ariana. She smells delicious, the best thing I've ever smelled in the century and a half I've been on this hearth. I bet you noticed that, didn't you? How could you not, spending so much time around her?"

Stefan felt his eyes go red, black veins appearing at the memory of Ariana's smell suffusing the music room. Her blood pumping underneath her perfect olive skin. "Stop it!" He said through his fangs.

"Imagine what her blood tastes like!" Damon said with a slight moan. Stefan's face completely transformed at that. "I can."

"I said stop!" Stefan screamed at him before running into him and throwing him out of the window. When he landed into the pavement below though, Damon wasn't there.

Damon was already casually standing on his feet, completely unruffled by Stefan's attack.

"I was impressed. I give it a six. Missing style, but I was pleasantly surprised. Very good with the whole face...thing." Damon mocked him. "It was good."

Stefan got back on his feet, feeling weary to his very bones. "You know, it's all fun and games, Damon, huh? But wherever you go, people die."

Damon shrugged. "That's a given."

"Not here. I won't allow it."

Damon smirked at him, completely unafraid. "I take that as an invitation."

Stefan sighed. "Damon, please. After all these years, can't we just give it a rest?"

"I promised you an eternity of misery, so I'm just keeping my word."

Stefan glared at him. "Just stay away from Ariana."

Damon ignored him and looked down at Stefan's hand. "Where's your ring? Oh, yeah, sun's coming up in a couple of hours, and, poof, ashes to ashes." Stefan started to panic.

"Relax. It's right here." Damon said, reaching out his hand with Stefan's ring on his palm.

Stefan took it from him warily, half-expecting him to take the ring back. Once he had put the ring back on his finger Damon grabbed Stefan by the throat and threw him against the garage with force.

"You should know better than to think you're stronger than me." Damon said to him while Stefan tried to painfully go back on his feet. "You lost that fight when you stopped feeding on people. I wouldn't try it again." Then he heard noises in the distance and added, "I think we woke Zach up. Sorry, Zach." And with that, he disappeared into the night.

* * *

Ariana was just about to ready herself to go to sleep after checking on Jeremy and talking a little with Jenna and Elena – with Elena especially about what had happened that night to Vicki and asking her if she had any news about her – when she heard knocking at the front door. She looked out the window and noticed it was Stefan.

Ariana smiled a little to herself and checked her reflection in the mirror. She was back to her old Ariana – hair collected in a messy bun at the top of her head, glasses on her face and wearing sweatpants and a large t-shirt. She shrugged and figured that if Stefan hadn't run away from her yet, maybe he didn't particularly care how she dressed after all. Though she was definitely going to keep wearing the clothes she had bought with Caroline because she really loved them and she loved how she felt in them, which was the most important thing.

Ariana got down the stairs and opened the door.

Stefan smiled a sheepish smile at her. "I know it's late. But, uh...I needed to know that you were ok. And also apologize for disappearing like I did at the party."

Ariana nodded at him. "It's okay. There was a lot a confusion with what happened with Vicki. And, I'm fine, or at least, as fine as I can be given the circumstances."

Stefan nodded at her. Ariana bit her lip in indecision then she shrugged and decided that she was going to be brave for once. "It's warmer in the house. We can talk if you want. Would you like to come in?"

Stefan's smile widened. "I'd love to." Stefan crossed the threshold.


End file.
